American skier Bode Miller is responding to criticism of an NBC postrace interview by saying it was a “crazy emotional moment.”

The interview, conducted after Miller won a bronze medal in the men’s super-G ski race, turned to his emotions given the passing of his younger brother, Chelone, who died last year. A visibly emotional Miller began crying during the interview.

The moment drew backlash toward interviewer Christin Cooper, who pressed Miller about his brother, and NBC, which aired the full tape-delayed interview in prime time in the United States several hours later.

“I appreciate everyone sticking up for me,” Miller tweeted Monday. “Please be gentle w christin cooper, it was crazy emotional and not all her fault. (hash)heatofthemoment”

Miller was a trending topic on Twitter in the United States for much of the day after the tweet, and critics said the interview was insensitive.

Richard Sandomir of The New York Times called it “overkill,” Kami Mattioli of the Sporting News said Cooper “repeatedly badgered” Miller, and the AP’s David Bauder called it “a shameful spectacle.”

NBC said in a statement that its intent was to convey the emotion Miller felt.

Norwegian star leaves: Aksel Lund Svindal is leaving the Olympics because he has problems with allergies and fatigue, the Norwegian men’s Alpine skiing coach said.

Svindal said he thinks the allergies are “from the concrete that’s in the air.” Svindal failed to win a medal in three races and was to have raced in Wednesday’s giant slalom.

Svindal won three medals at the 2010 Vancouver Games and was expected to be a star in Sochi. He was the overall World Cup champion in 2007 and 2009.

Ratings gold: The numbers are in for the thrilling USA-Russia men’s hockey game, and they’re huge.

NBC Sports Network says 4.1 million people in the United States tuned in to the Americans’ dramatic 3-2 victory, a record number for a hockey game on the channel. When the game went to a shootout, 6.4 million people tuned in to watch T.J. Oshie score four times to lead Team USA to the win.

Oshie was one of the more anonymous players on the American roster, a very good player for the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, but by no means a star. He’s added more than 150,000 followers to his Twitter account — (at)OSH74 — and received a tweet of congratulations from President Barack Obama since his big moment.

Women’s draw: San Jose teen Polina Edmunds will skate 12th in a field of 30 in the women’s figure skating short program Wednesday.

A long-awaited plan to keep the Raiders in Oakland was unveiled late Friday by city and Alameda County officials. In a news release issued late Friday afternoon, local officials touted the plan for a new $1.3 billion stadium and mixed-use development designed to keep the team at the Coliseum site. Raiders owner Mark Davis currently is pursuing a plan to...